Switch cabinet or cover with an air-conditioning unit

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a switch cabinet or cover with an air-conditioning unit, which comprises a cooling circuit system with an evaporator and a condenser. The evaporator has an integral air circuit, connected spatially with the interior of the switch cabinet and through which the air in the interior of the switch cabinet may be forced, by means of a blower. The condenser is in contact with the remaining components of the cooling circuit, by means of refrigerant lines. According to the invention, in order to reduce emissions from the air-conditioner, due to environmental damage considerations, the evaporator, together with the dedicated blower, is integrated in an evaporator unit, attached to the switch cabinet. The condenser, together with a dedicated blower, is integrated in a condenser unit, whereby the condenser unit is spatially separate from the evaporator unit and from the switch cabinet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to a switch cabinet or enclosure with anair-conditioning unit that contains a cooling circuit system with anevaporator and a condenser, wherein the evaporator has an integral aircircuit that is spatially connected to the interior of the switchcabinet and through which the air of the switch cabinet interior can beconveyed by a blower, and wherein the evaporator is connected to theremaining components of the cooling circuit by refrigerant lines.

[0003] 2. Discussion of Related Art

[0004] Switch cabinets of this type of are known from German PatentReferences DE 44 13 130 and DE 196 41 552. In this case, anair-conditioning unit with an air-conditioner housing is used. Allcomponents of the cooling circuit are accommodated in theair-conditioner housing. In certain instances, for example, if a switchcabinet is arranged in office or laboratory rooms, the air-conditioningunit is subject to special requirements. First, the air-conditioningunit should generate very little noise. In addition, it is usuallyundesirable to release the heat generated by the air-conditioning unitinto the surrounding room.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] One object of this invention is to provide a switch cabinet orenclosure of the type described above but in which the impact on thesurroundings due to emissions from the air-conditioning unit is reduced.

[0006] This objective is achieved with an evaporator and a dedicatedblower integrated into an evaporator unit that is arranged on the switchcabinet. The condenser and a dedicated blower are integrated into acondenser unit. The condenser unit is arranged spatially separate fromthe evaporator unit and spatially separate from the switch cabinet.

[0007] Because the condenser unit is separate from the evaporator unit,the condenser can be independently positioned. It is possible to arrangethe condenser unit outside of the room in which the switch cabinet isarranged. With this arrangement, the thermal energy drawn from theswitch cabinet by the evaporator unit can be conveyed to the condenservia the refrigerant. The condenser releases the thermal energy into thesurroundings distant from the switch cabinet. Because the thermal energyis conducted away the room in which the switch cabinet is located, noreheating can occur, and thus the air-conditioning unit has a highdegree of efficiency. This invention also makes it possible to arrangethe air-conditioned switch cabinet in rooms that have only inferiorventilation, if any ventilation.

[0008] This invention also reduces noise generated by theair-conditioning unit.

[0009] The evaporator unit may be in the form of a cabinet roof unit ora wall unit or may be otherwise positioned on or in the switch cabinet.

[0010] According to one preferred embodiment of this invention, theevaporator unit is connected to the condenser unit by one incoming andone outgoing refrigerant line, wherein the refrigerant lines bridge thefree space between the evaporator unit and the condenser unit. Couplingsthat respectively comprise two coupling parts are installed in the tworefrigerant lines, wherein each coupling part is connected to the end ofa refrigerant line in a pressure-tight fashion, and wherein the twocoupling parts of a coupling can be connected or separated by arapid-action closure. The couplings make it possible to handle andposition the evaporator unit separately from the condenser unit. Withthe rapid-action closures, the line connections can also be produced byunskilled personnel.

[0011] In order to allow the installation of refrigerant lines withoutspecial skills and special tools, the incoming and outgoing refrigerantlines can be in the form of flexible conduits.

[0012] In one embodiment of this invention, the evaporator unit has ahousing that accommodates the evaporator and is positioned on the roofof the switch cabinet or in the switch cabinet. The housing contains acentral air inlet opening through which the air of the switch cabinetinterior can be conveyed into the housing. Air outlet openings throughwhich the cooled air can be conveyed from the housing into the switchcabinet interior are arranged laterally of the air inlet opening. Theair outlet openings have adjustable air flow control that makes itpossible to vary the air flow direction and/or the quantity of airconveyed. The air flow control makes it possible to achieve a targetedcooling in the switch cabinet interior.

[0013] According to another embodiment of this invention, the evaporatorunit contains a condensate collector and a dedicated condensateevaporating device.

[0014] In order to generate as little noise as possible near theevaporator unit, the evaporator unit has a housing that accommodates theevaporator and can be attached to the roof of the switch cabinet. Thehousing contains a central air inlet opening through which the air ofthe switch cabinet interior can be conveyed into the housing, whereinair outlet openings through which the cooled air can be conveyed fromthe housing into the switch cabinet interior are arranged laterally ofthe air inlet opening, and wherein the air outlet openings haveadjustable air flow control means that make it possible to vary the airflow direction and/or the quantity of air being conveyed.

[0015] In order to prevent components of the cooling circuit frombecoming damaged when the couplings are separated, this inventionprovides a monitoring device assigned to the compressor, the monitoringdevice determines the power consumption of the compressor either atcertain intervals or continuously, and the monitoring device switchesoff the compressor when a preset fixed value is exceeded. Therefrigerant circulation is interrupted when the couplings are separated.In this case, the power consumption of the compressor increases, butonly up to the preset fixed value at which the compressor is switchedoff.

[0016] If the incoming and outgoing refrigerant lines with adistribution element for connecting two or more evaporator units to onecondenser unit, it is possible to supply a cooling circuit containingseveral evaporators with only one condenser unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0017] This invention is described in greater detail in view of oneembodiment illustrated in the FIGURE, which shows a schematic view of aswitch cabinet with an air-conditioning unit.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] A switch cabinet 10 has a switch cabinet body with a flat roofarea. An evaporator unit 11 of the air-conditioner is attached to thisroof area. The evaporator unit 11 includes a housing that accommodatesan evaporator 13 and a blower 14. A nozzle-shaped air flow guide 12 isassociated with the evaporator 13. On an end that faces away from theevaporator 13, the air flow guide 12 opens into a central air inletopening 19 of the housing. The air inlet opening 19 is spatiallyconnected to the switch cabinet interior via the roof of the switchcabinet 10. Air flow guide regions that are assigned to air outletopenings 18 are formed in the housing of the evaporator unit 11,laterally of the central air flow guide 12. The air outlet openings 18discharge into the switch cabinet interior. The arrows illustrated inthe FIGURE indicate that air can be pulled by suction from the switchcabinet interior through the air inlet opening 19 by the blower 14. Theair flows through the air flow guide 12 and reaches the evaporator 13.After the air flows through the evaporator 13, it emerges from theevaporator in the lateral region of the evaporator unit 11 housing.Subsequently, the air that was conditioned by the evaporator 13 isreturned to the switch cabinet interior through the air inlet openings19. The air inlet openings 19 have air flow control means that are notillustrated in greater detail in the FIGURE. The air flow control whichis, for example, in the form of control flaps, varies the quantity ofair being conveyed, as well as the air flow direction. A condensateevaporating device 15 in the form of a blower is also accommodated inthe housing of the evaporator unit 11. The condensate evaporating device15 evaporates the condensate accumulating on the evaporator 13 anddischarges the evaporated condensate outward by a blower 16.

[0019] The switch cabinet 10 is arranged in a room that is symbolicallyillustrated in the form of a partition wall 20. A condenser unit 30 isarranged distant from this room. The condenser unit 30 has a housingbody in which the condenser 33 and a blower associated with thecondenser 33 are accommodated. In addition, an accumulator 31, acompressor 32, a filter 34 and an expansion valve 35 of the coolingcircuit are accommodated in this housing body. The evaporator unit 11 isconnected to the condenser unit 30 by refrigerant lines 21, 22. Therefrigerant lines 21, 22 extend through the partition wall 20. Therefrigerant lines 21, 22 are interrupted in the spatial regionassociated with the condenser unit 30. The refrigerant lines 21, 22 canbe connected by couplings 23 in the vicinity of or near the separationpoints. In this embodiment, one coupling part is connected to eachrefrigerant line end. The two coupling parts of a coupling 23 can beconnected to one another by a rapid-action closure. A conductiveconnection between the refrigerant line ends is produced once thesecoupling parts are connected to one another. The coupling 23 can beconnected and separated without any leaks, for example no refrigerant islost.

1. Switch cabinet or enclosure with an air-conditioning unit thatcontains a cooling circuit system with an evaporator and a condenser,wherein the evaporator has an integral air circuit that is spatiallyconnected to the interior of the switch cabinet and through which theair of the switch cabinet interior can be conveyed by means of a blower,and wherein the evaporator is connected to the remaining components ofthe cooling circuit by means of refrigerant lines, characterized by thefact that the evaporator (13) and a dedicated blower (14) are integratedinto an evaporator unit (11) that is arranged on the switch cabinet(10), by the fact that the condenser (33) and a dedicated blower (36)are integrated into a condenser unit (30), and by the fact that thecondenser unit (30) is arranged spatially separate from the evaporatorunit (11) and spatially separate from the switch cabinet (10).
 2. Switchcabinet according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that theevaporator unit (11) is connected to the condenser unit (3) [sic; (30)]by means of an incoming and an outgoing refrigerant line (21 and 22), bythe fact that these refrigerant lines (21, 22) bridge the free spacebetween the evaporator unit (11) and the condenser unit (30), by thefact that couplings (23) which respectively comprise two coupling partsare installed in both refrigerant lines (21, 22), wherein each couplingpart is connected to the end of a refrigerant line (21, 22) in apressure-tight fashion, and by the fact that the two coupling parts of acoupling can be connected or separated by means of a rapid-actionclosure.
 3. Switch cabinet according to claim 2, characterized by thefact that the incoming and outgoing refrigerant lines (21, 22) arerealized in the form of flexible conduits.
 4. Switch cabinet accordingto one of claims 1-3, characterized by the fact that the evaporator unit(11) has a housing that accommodates the evaporator (13) and is attachedto the switch cabinet (10) or is positioned in the switch cabinet/switchcabinet pedestal, by the fact that the housing contains a central airinlet opening (19) through which the air of the switch cabinet interiorcan be conveyed into the housing, by the fact that air outlet openings(18) through which the cooled air can be conveyed from the housing intothe switch cabinet interior are arranged laterally of the air inletopening (19), and by the fact that the air outlet openings (18) areprovided with adjustable air flow control means that make it possible tovary the air flow direction and/or the quantity of air being conveyed.5. Switch cabinet according to one of claims 1-4, characterized by thefact that the evaporator unit (11) contains a condensate collector (15)and an associated condensate evaporating device (16).
 6. Switch cabinetaccording to one of claims 1-5, characterized by the fact that thecondenser unit (30) contains the compressor (32) and/or the injectionunit of the cooling circuit and/or the expansion valve (35).
 7. Switchcabinet according to one of claims 2-6, characterized by the fact thatthe couplings (23) for the incoming and outgoing refrigerant lines (21,22) are rigidly coupled to the housing of the evaporator unit (11) or ofthe condenser unit (33) or to flexible conduits.
 8. Switch cabinetaccording to one of claims 1-7, characterized by the fact that thecompressor (32) is provided with a monitoring device, and by the factthat the monitoring device determines the power consumption of thecompressor (32) either at certain intervals or continuously and switchesoff the compressor if a preset fixed value is exceeded.
 9. Switchcabinet according to one of claims 1-8, characterized by the fact that adistribution element for connecting two or more evaporator units (11) toone condenser unit (30) is installed in the incoming and the outgoingrefrigerant line (21, 22).